Joan and Jacop
by Stars2346
Summary: Set in the First Wizarding War. Jacop and Joan are unlikely, yet inseparable, friends, with one slight problem: Jacop is a 4th year wizard, while Joan is a 9-year-old Muggle. For years, the three wizard families that live in a joint home next to Joan manage to keep their secret, but when Joan is attacked by Death Eaters everything changes forever… Jacop has more than one secret...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**

I do not own the characters that I did not invent, and I did not invent the Harry Potter world that this story is set in. Therefore, I only own the characters that are my own invention, and nothing else in this fanfiction (Sorry for the repetitiveness and awkwardness; this is my first time writing a disclaimer).

 **Author's Note**

Thank you so, _so_ much for reading (even if you decide you don't want to read after reading this)! I want to clear a few things that are a little misleading, so you're not disappointed. First off, this is a fanfic with only OC's. The Marauders do not have a role, it is only classified as a Marauder-world fic for it's time period (Marauder era = First Wizarding War). I know it's misleading, I'm sorry but I didn't know what other era to classify it in, if not Marauders. Second, the summary is not a lie, it's just not exactly the beginning. Joan is attacked by Death Eaters much later, but I will name that chapter appropriately so that, if you would like to (and I have written that chapter by then), you can skip to that chapter. I will have a short summary of what has happened up to that point, but you will miss a lot of foreshadowing and character set-up. Again, _thank you so much for reading!_

 **Chapter 1**

"...and Jacop gets the ball, passes it to Joan, who passes it back, and Jacop gets a clear shot and… The Boulders score again, making the score 15-0!"

Joan laughed. Nobody from the other team seemed to know how to play soccer. Jacop, however, had insisted that it was the perfect day to learn, being a sunny, hot and humid summer day. From the looks on the other team's faces, though, it was clear that they disagreed.

"We need to change teams! It's not fair!" Jane demanded, face red with the heat.

"The only thing that's not fair is that you have three players and we only have two!" Joan retorted. Jane opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she saw her twin brother Frederic glancing warningly her way.

"Boulders, huddle!" Joan ran over to Jacop at once. They put their heads together, with difficulty for Jacop due to being almost a foot taller. Jacop was used to this; he was one of the tallest in his year at Hogwarts.

"Joan, I know your not going to like what I'm gonna say, but I think we should let them score."

"B-but that's giving up a shut-out!" Joan said, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, but right now they're really discouraged. At their… at our school, nobody plays soccer, which I know is _really_ strange," he quickly added. "And… well, they've never played before much, and I think it would make them happy if they at least got a goal. Think of the look on their faces!"

Joan contemplated this, then nodded her approval. "Hey, Ms. G, we're going to start playing again! I have a feeling that this will be one interesting play…" Jacop winked at Ms. G, the muggle wife of one of the wizards that lived in the joint house next to Joan's. She knew soccer, but didn't enjoy playing it as much as watching it. She loved to commentate the kid's games.

"All-righty… Jane starts with the ball, passes it to Frederic, who leaves it behind... now Jacop gets the ball, who passes it to Kyler, who trips over the ball… Then Jane gets it, passes it to Frede- No, it goes of in another direction and Joan gets it, who passes it back… Jane passes it _softly_ to Kyler, Frederic tries to pick up the ball and throw it into the goal, but Joan stops him and reminds him of the rules, leaving the goal clear, and Kyler takes a kick, and… HE SCORES THE FIRST POINT FOR TEAM QUAFFLE!"

At this, an untidy man with caramel skin and jet-black hair bolted out the door. Joan recognized him as the twins's father. Jane, Frederic and Kyler stopped celebrating at one look at him. He was furious.

"Team Quaffle?! Are you serious!? It's a wonder the Ministry doesn't run right over here; shouting about Quaffles! In the presence of a muggle, as well!" He eyed Joan suspiciously. "I'd expect better from you three! All the names for a team, and you have to name it after Quidditch! I suppose you assigned a beater, chaser and keeper as well!" The twins looked at each other, then at their little brother, then back at their father. "...might as well been playing on broomsticks… lucky the muggle had a ball... don't think I didn't notice that your Quidditch set was moved, if you used those… basically criminals…"

"Jacop let us! Why aren't you mad at _him_?"

"Because, Jane, at least _he_ was wise enough to name _his_ team The Boulders." A skinny lady with stringy, auburn hair poked her head out the back door. "Jacop, Merlin's beard, why _didn't_ you stop them!" Jacop hung his head. He was secretly hoping that he'd have an excuse to talk to Joan about Quidditch; now the idea seemed really stupid in his head.

" _Well?_ "

The twin's father took advantage of the silence. "It's like no one cares about the Statute of Secrecy! Who _knows_ how many heard Ms. G and…"

"And you, Mr. Petunie, your worse than all of them! Shouting about the ministry of magic, broomsticks, Quidditch… Why, the poor girl's probably going to have to be obliviated…"

Joan heard no more. In fact, it felt like she went deaf all of a sudden. She must not of heard right. _Obliviate?_ It didn't sound like something good. If fact, it sounded like they were about to blast her into oblivion. She stopped her indigent stares (they were talking about her like she wasn't standing right there, and even called her a _muggle_ , whatever that means!) and, suddenly, asking "What's a Quaffle?" "What's Quidditch?" "There's a ministry of magic?" and such was the last thing on her mind.

She ran. Nobody was blowing her up. Everyone ran after her except Ms. G (who snuck inside soon after Mr. P came out), but Joan was faster. Being the youngest of the neighbors, she was nimble and agile, and after what seemed like forever she was in her home, safe. She could make out a few words, but they didn't matter. "...something small like that…" "...lose your temper…" "...won't tell others…" "...shouldn't joke like that…" "... really believed…" "... Oh, the kids just came now…" Suddenly, she heard a sharp voice that was barely recognizable as Jacop's mother. "Jacop, homework! _Now_! Room! Go! Come on! Hurry!" Joan could imagine Jacop walking away slowly, disappointed. Joan wouldn't blame him, homework over the summer was always the worst. She wondered how much his boarding school gave, then a familiar sinking feeling formed in her gut. He would be leaving in a couple months again. _Jacop barely gets summer,_ she thought with injustice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning, although Joan got up at the break of dawn, she did not greet Ms. P when she went to work. In fact, she avoided the house altogether. In the end, Jacop came to her.

"It best this way, you two are too close for each others good!"

"Just because she's a muggle doesn't mean we can't be friends!"

"She is going to find out one of these days!"

"I won't let her in the house."

"She needs some muggle friends! And you should go off to your wizard friend's houses one of these days; at least write _a_ letter!"

"Muggles aren't any different from the rest of us!"

"Wizards and muggles _should_ be distant!"

" _Mom_! Joan's not some random muggle that we need to keep secret from - she is, well, _Joan_! Our neighbor! And, like it or not, she's my friend and I'm her's! So I'm going to treat her as a neighbor and a friend, not just some muggle, 'cause I don't just care about her from a wizard-muggle relations standpoint, I care about her as a neighbor, friend and peer as well!"

There was a tense silence.

"Jacop… your right… you don't want to put her in danger… don't give a reason… You-Know-Who…"

" _Voldemort_ -"

"Jacop _!_ "

"-kills muggles too. If anything, muggles who know wizards are safer. You saw her face, I'm going to talk to her, no use making her afraid of us." Jacop, realizing that his mother was not convinced, added, "Or else she might tell her parents about everything, who might call the police, who will call the ministry of magic; _then_ we'll really be in trouble."

Jacop marched across the lawn (Jacop's mother seemed to consider going after him, but apparently decided that it was a battle better fought later and went inside), where a rather somber-looking Joan was sitting on a rock next to her house.

She was used to the scene. Already a couple of times that summer, Jacop and Susan (she insisted on being called by her first name) would have an argument about something before Jacop came over. She imagined it was about homework and chores, although she never actually heard what they were saying. Normally, Joan was just hoping that Jacob's mother didn't pull him right back into the house (as she often looked ready to) and was running towards their yard, ready for Jacop to do the same. Today, though, Joan did not move, and Jacop simply walked over the threshold and sat next to Joan. They sat in silence for a few long, awkward moments, then started talking at the same time.

"Look, Joan, I wanted to-"

"I didn't think your mother would let you out."

They stared at each other, Jacop trying to hide his surprise at Joan's sarcastic listlessness. He had seen her like this before, but not often. It dawned upon him that his mother's fear was true; Joan really had taken to heart every word that had been said yesterday. He couldn't help but smile at Joan's impressionability, and at the same time be impressed with Joan's quick acceptance that magic that could erase people's minds actually _existed_. _Why they don't let me tell her,_ he thought, _I don't know, she wouldn't freak out like some muggles would!_

Joan stared at Jacop's small, friendly grin for a moment, then all the iciness in her expression was gone. She broke into an ear-to-ear smile, and Jacop looked very relieved.

"You thought I would be mad at you?"

"Yeah… well… kinda had to draw conclusions, y'know?"

"Jacop! You _know_ I wouldn't hold something like that against you! You didn't even _do_ anything! It was just an argument… I felt _bad_ for you; how did your mother take it?"

"Not well, but at least she wasn't mad at _me_. But I was _glad_ to be in my room, I reckon she went on 'till supper, 'cause she was _still_ talking about the ministry and who- _knows_ -what _then_! Can you believe it - 10 minutes later! Would've invited the Greepins over, but I know Ms. G likes to wait 'till her husband gets home from work to eat with him, and I _swear_ that our time clock is running fast… I keep saying that were going to have to check our time clock with the Greepins's one of these days, but my mom will have nothing of it, says she doesn't want them to see her watch… Well, having Ms. & Mr. G certainly would have worked, 'cause she wouldn't want Mr. G finding out, and she _still_ doesn't trust Ms. G! I mean, _really_ , she's allowed to know about wizardry, she doesn't count as a muggle under the Statute of Secrecy, they even got permission from the ministry… And since mom was alone she kept going on, and said stuff like 'you better have no part in this, Jacop' 'now don't go slipping up by losing your temper like Mr. Petunie' ' _why_ did you let them! Have I not taught you anything?'"

"Ohh…" Joan was slightly taken aback by the uncarictaristicness of Jacop's aggresive rambling, as it wasn't everyday Jacop got lost in a bitter world of words, and at a loss for words due to not understanding a lot of what was said. "Sounds horrible… I'm, er, sorry… I didn't know-"

"Don't worry, it's not your fault, you know my mom…"

"Well, y'know, I bet she wasn't actually talking about it before, she probably just wanted to say her stuff, chew you out, but she waited 'till dinner 'cause of all the chaos… Also, I bet she wanted to talk to you alone, away from the twins… and anyway, you saw how scared and nervous she was yesterday."

"Oh… y'know, you could be right… now that I think of it…" Joan often had more insight into Susan, particularly due to the fact that Jacop and Susan were almost always arguing. Jacop was not the best with authority.

"It's still pretty bad, though-"

"No, no, if there was ever a time I deserved it, it was yesterday…" Jacop looked dead serious. "You… you don't understand, Joan, how serious that was… that was beyond back talk or pranks or anything silly like that… 'course Mr. Petunie would still be in _way_ more trouble than me…" He smiled, and Joan copied him, though she failed to see the humor. Joan wanted to change the subject as this was extremely confusing to her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it; she had too many questions.

"What's… what's a Quaffle? I didn't think it meant anything, 'thought it was a silly, nonsense word, but… why do y'all want to keep it a secret from me?"

Jacop shifted uncomfortably, not liking where this was heading. "It's, um, a ball from Quidditch…"

"What's Quidditch?"

"It's a, um… sport…"

"Really?! How's it played? Have you played it? Can we play it one day?"

"Um… No, we can't play it… but yes, I play it at school sometimes, this year I'm trying out for the team…"

"Oh. Well… how's it played? And why can't we play it?"

"Well… it's really complicated… there are three goals on each end... three hoops, more precisely… and the keeper makes sure nothing- They're like a goalie. And the chasers are like forwards, strikers and midfielders, all in one… well, three… Anyway, they get the Quaffle into the hoops. And then there are two beaters and two Bludgers, and the beaters try to hit the Bludgers away from their teammates with bats, and hit them at other people on the other team… and there's one seeker, who has to catch the tiny, super fast, unpredictable golden snitch, which ends the game and gives that team a 150-point bonus."

"That's not… _too_ complicated… but why can't we play it? I can set up some hoops, the Petunie's have a Quidditch set…"

"Ah… well, there's one thing… it's… it's played on broomsticks…"

Joan laughed, picturing a bunch of people running with brooms, occasionally jumping on top of them, a few of them running with the broom between their legs, and falling a lot in the attempt.

"Well, I got some brooms! Between four families, we'll have plenty! Even more if the "

"Not - not… Not just _any_ broomstick. They, um… they _fly_."

Joan's jaw dropped. A game played on flying broomsticks? It seemed amazing, and Joan whished she could try to play, but…

"I can't make a broomstick fly."

"You don't have to… Yeah. Exactly. So that's why."

"Still… it's seems so cool… y'know, while your at your school, I could make some money… y'know, selling lemonade and origami dragons and stuff like that… and then, next summer, you and me can go to a game!" Joan's eyes glimmered with excitement, and Jacop expression turned to one of hurt.

"Um… Joan…Thanks, but you… you can't see Quidditch."

"Why?!"

"You… your not supposed to know about Quidditch…"

"Because…"

"Because… well…" Jacop put his head in his hands. The thick clouds that made everything dark below matched his mood precisely. There was no way around it. _She already knows so much anyway…_ he rationalized, _A little more won't hurt…_

"Your what us wizards call a muggle." His voice was barely audible, just above a whisper… yet it filled all of Joan's brain. The absurdity of the statement sunk in. A wizard? _Jacop?!_ It didn't seem right… She must have heard wrong… But then, how did he know so much about about wizards…

"Your - your a wizard?" Joan's surprise was hardly concealed by whispering (at least, she was trying to whisper, as Jacop _must_ have been whispering for a reason, but she hardly could keep from shouting).

Jacop simply nodded. Neither knew what to say. Actually, Joan knew exactly what she wanted to say, but couldn't find her voice. Joan didn't know what being a wizard meant, except that they could do magic of some kind and wore a long, pointy hat. Still, it seemed extraordinary that her best friend… fantasy being real… She now regretted that she had always shunned the fantasy genre, as she now knew next to nothing about wizards. _But wait!_ She thought, _My neighbors, a bunch of wizards, argued over speaking about some things… things I had never heard of… maybe all the things they were talking about had to do with being a wizard?_

Jacop's head was spinning as well. He said it. He told her all about Quidditch… Now he was talking about wizards… If his mom - if the _ministry_ , for that matter, found out about this, he was in serious trouble… But it was just a matter of time until Joan would have found out anyway, why else would they know all this stuff about wizards that muggles weren't allowed to know? _Yes,_ he thought desperately to himself, _if she drew her conclusions from a little 2-letter word, she would have found out anyway…_

"What's a muggle?" she asked, still whispering (though barely), the clouds now making the sky so dark it was comparable to night.

Jacop took a deep breath. He was only a rebel when he was actually _standing right in front_ of someone telling him off, or telling him what to do. But he wasn't used to rule-breaking like Joan. _She would have found out… Joan's not stupid, she would have found out… Why else would we know all these secrets… She would have figured that out on her own… Then I wouldn't be sitting here right next to her, ready to explain everything._ To Jacop's relief, he finally started to calm down to his own words. _It would have been worse had I not told her. Joan needs to trust me, and if she figured it out like some secret that we've been telling lies around… well, we have, but… muggles- actually_ everyone _fears the unknown more, so it's better this way… I think… well, I could get in trouble but I don't think the ministry would send people to Azkaban for- well, I'd still be in huge trouble, get expelled from Hogwarts maybe even…_ He shuddered at the thought. _If the ministry came, what they would do… There is always memory charms, they could obliviate her, then she wouldn't-_ he stopped. He remembered the scared look on Joan's face yesterday when they _mentioned_ modifying her memory, and they weren't even being serious. _That_ is _what they would do…_ Something clicked in Jacop. He knew one thing: he was going to explain everything, _everything._ He was _not_ going to leave his best friend in the dark.

"Is- is it bad, being a muggle?" Joan asked uncertainty, staring curiously at Jacop's silent, still body. "Y'all right?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. And no, no… definitely not, it's not a bad thing being a muggle, it just means you don't have magic powers, which is fine, it just means your not a witch."

"You don't look fine. What's up?" Joan was staring quizzically at Jacop with concern.

"I... " he sighed. "Wizards aren't supposed to tell muggles about the wizarding world, or that they themselves are wizards. It violates a law called the Statute of Secrecy." he paused, and could read the look on Joan's face quite clearly. "Well… um… the Statute of Secrecy was put in place when the wizards in medieval times were being prosecuted. At least, I think that was why the Statute of Secrecy was made… It could have been why Hogwarts was made… I'm not sure, I'm not the best in history of magic…"

Joan smiled, and Jacop attempted to smile back.

"Well, I just… I just…" his voice dropped so low that it was barely audible over the soft wind. "I just broke wizard law."

Joan gave him a sideways glance. Being quite the rebel sometimes, Jacop was often the voice of reason that kept her out of trouble; it occurred to him now just how much they trusted each other. Joan was obviously trying to picture Jacop, the one who always listened to rules, who was keen on staying out of trouble if he could help it, the responsible one, being a criminal. It just didn't seem right.

"W-what will happen if they catch you?"

"Hopefully, not much… get a warning… might get expelled from Hogwarts… hopefully I don't get sent to Azkaban…" Jacop shuddered at the thought. _No,_ he thought, _breaking the Statute of Secrecy is definitely not bad enough for Azkaban… I hope..._

"Is-is Azkaban really bad? What is it?" Immediately, Joan wished she had asked about what Hogwarts was instead. Based on Jacop's shaken look, she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"Oh, yes, _yes._ Azkaban is the worst there is!" Jacop replied grimly. "It's wizard prison, you s-"

"They can't throw you in prison! They just _can't_ put you in Az-"

"Shh! Don't yell, my mom will flip out and other muggles might hear!" Jacop was glad to see that Joan seemed to be catching on, and shared his sentiment about not talking about Azkaban any more.

For a long moment they stared at each other as the clouds allowed a little glimmer of sunlight through, Joan stunned into silence and Jacop dreading saying the next part.

"Joan," he paused, and waited until Joan was looking at him. "Joan, I don't want you to freak out, and this is why I'm telling you all this. If they- the Ministry of Magic find out, they will… They will take you, and they will obliviate you." Jacop stared at Joan's shocked expression and quickly added, "Meaning they will change and erase some memories."

"Th-th-that's still better than what they would do to you!" And before Jacop could think about what he was saying, he blurted out:

"I'm w-worried that they will… they will… take away _all_ of your memories with wizards and that...we wouldn't know each other... we wouldn't be friends anymore and...I know it's kinda selfish-"

"Not at all!" Joan's eyes were not as wide as dinner plates - they were wider. The new, bright sunshine glared in their faces, but Joan didn't look away. For a second, Jacop thought she was Petrified, but they he remembered that the nearest Basilisk was likely a hundred miles away. "I- would they really do that?! 'Cause… 'Cause your my best friend, and anyone who is going to mess with that is going to have a heck of a lot of trouble doing so!"

Jacop regretted saying anything. "Joan… these are wizards… powerful ones, too, you'd have no chance!"

"We'll have to try. Your mom won't let us become friends again, she'd be too worried. This time… these memories… are our only chance, and we're going to protect that chance."

Jacop sighed. "Look, I need you to do a favor. _Do. Not. Tell. Anyone._ "

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

"Good, 'cause the ministry will only find out if they… well… find out you know all this."

"Or if someone tells them!"

Jacop jumped a mile. He stared down at Kyler in shock.

"Merlin's beard, Jacop! You just broke the Statute of Secrecy into a million pieces! A _billion,_ I reckon! Your mom was right - you would never be able to keep the secret from Joan; she knew you'd eventually br-"

"KYLER! YOU. KEEP. YOUR. MOUTH. SHUT! I can't _believe_ you, Kyler, mark my words, the second the hat touches your head you'll be in Slytherin, turning us in, eavesdropping-"

"I'm not going to turn you in, if you'd let _go_ of me!"

Jacop let go as if Kyler were boiling hot acid, and Kyler rubbed his shoulders.

"Jeez, Jacop, you think I'm gonna turn you in? You gotta be jocking! Also you could've grabbed on softer, y'know."

Jacop muttered "Sorry."

" _I_ can't believe _you_! You - of all the people, you'd be the _last_ to break the law!"

"It's not as simple as that."

"What _were_ you trying to do?"

"Warning Joan about Obliviators. But I think I just made things way worse."

Kyler chuckled. "Uh, yeah. Big time."

Then Kyler got all serious. "Listen, I have to tell your mom."

"No! Don't you dare tell his…"

"Look, she's right," he continued, ignoring Joan. "Your telling Joan too much. Your going to get her into trouble. She's already in trouble… Whereas before the ministry would've let it slip by, now she is _definitely_ going to be obliviated, should they find out. Sorry, Jacop, gotta do this for you too, I don't want you in trouble."

Jacop started to retaliate, but Kyler interrupted him. "You think she'd tell the ministry? No, she'll cover up for you!"

Jacop stared at Kyler. What he said sank in. "Your really clever, you know that, right?" Kyler turned and walked away.

"Did you know that was the most Kyler has ever talked?" Joan grinned.

"I know Kyler! Yeah, he's hiding how clever he is, he's too shy."

"Ah, he'd be in Ravenclaw…"

They heard a distant yell. " _Stop_ guessing what house I'm going to be in!" Then Jacop shuddered as he heard the door close.

"I- I'm sorry, Jac-"

"It is _not_ your fault, Joan. _You_ haven't broken the law in the slightest, it's my problem that I have to deal with now." They looked at each other and smiled.

"Don't worry, Joan."

"We'll play soccer tomorrow, if you want, Jacop?"

"I, uh, doubt…"

"JACOP! GET OVER HERE! NOW! _NOW_!"

"Good luck!" Both spoke at the same time. They laughed, then Jacop held out his arms. Joan hugged him like she'd never see him again.

"JACOP! I MEAN IT! GET AWAY AND GET YOURSELF IN HERE, _NOW!_ "

"My mom…"

Jacop smiled and jogged to the door of the house. The door slammed shut behind him.

"What were you thinking?! Do you _want_ to get us in _more_ trouble with the Ministry?!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jacop was grounded, for how long Joan did not know. The next day was a sunny, windy day, perfect for soccer, but Jacop would not come out.

The light was on in Jacop's room. As usual, the curtains were closed, and one could not see anything beyond them. Joan walked cautiously up to the window and knocked. There was no reply. She tried again. And again. And finally, after the 5th attempt, Jacop reached under the curtains and held up a letter.

 _Joan,_

 _I am really sorry but I cannot play with you anymore. As a punishment, I'm_

 _grounded, which means that I cannot exit the house (do Muggles get grounded?). I don't know when it will end, but given the severity of my misbehavior it will probably be the rest of summer._

Joan couldn't believe her eyes. The rest of summer, in the house? And Jacop wasn't even protesting it; he seemed to think he _deserved_ it!?

 _Before you go berating my mom, I'd like you to know that it was Mr._

 _P's punishment. I think my mom freaked out to much to think; y'know, she's deathly afraid of the Ministry. Joan, for_ you _to stay safe from the ministry, still don't tell anyone._

 _Kyler was right, my mom personally made sure that the Petunies didn't tell_ anybody, _not even the Greepins. I think she actually gets my point, she was mad but now she's not really upset once I told her why I told you. You can imagine Mr. P, though, the only thing that would have made it worse was if_ I _were_ his _son._

 _Kyler is finally not being ignored. He's back to being quiet, though, so I don't know how long that will last. Jane, Frederic and Kyler can't get out due to a practice protective enchantment Ms. P put on their living room that went wrong; Mr. G is working on reversing it. Meanwhile, I'm teaching them how to play Go Fish with what they call a muggle deck, and I have to say their catching on quick (to the fact that the "fish" are cards)._

 _I'm almost done with homework (about 55%) given how long I have to do it, so I suggest you use this time to get caught up on yours, so that if I get out before the end of summer we can play together the whole time left. Well, see you next year (hopefully I'll be un-grounded by then), maybe sooner, have fun with your muggle friends!_

Her heart sank at the letter. Joan didn't have any other friends, even the kid who lived on the other side of her home didn't like her. It was her secret. And now she wasn't going to be able to play with Jacop, or even talk to him! The lights went out in Jacop's room, but Joan didn't leave. She stared at the windowsill, where two clay action figures were pointed at each other. She smiled.

Three years ago, she and Jacop had made the action figures out of clay, molding them into make-believe heroes. Joan had made her's with red armor and a large, grey sword, whereas Jacop had made his with strange yellow armor, a belt with strange things, but most confusing, his weapon was a stick. Joan had laughed, saying that her sword would slice it into bits in no time, but Jacop simply laughed and shook his head. Both stubbornly believed that their action figure was the most powerful. To this day, Joan was puzzled as to why, of all the weapons, Jacop would chose a _stick_ , a twig.

But as she thought, her eyes drifted to something else: the window lock with the letter beside it. Then she got an idea. She ran home to get her special ninja turtle pencil and began to write a letter of her own.

 _Dear Jacop,_

 _We_ can _talk to each other! All I have to do is wait 'till supper time (I'll know_

' _cause of the lights), then I can give you a letter! And you can leave your_

 _letters out the window, where I'll pick them up. Have fun with the Petunie's,_

 _and I hope the rest of your summer is as OK as it can be, being_

 _grounded…_

 _P.S. I don't have too much summer homework, at least not now before 4th grade._

She ran out to the window, and waited until the only lights on were in the kitchen. Not missing a moment, she slowly pulled up the window a crack. She left her letter on the windowsill, ready to close it and leave, when it occurred to Joan that the windowsill was quite deserted. He would never see it, covered by the curtains, nor would he on the incredibly dusty floor below them. Joan took a deep breath, and tried to think, but the only thing that came to her was her determination to communicate with Jacop. She took one last look at the lights, which seemed to show them walking…

Joan ran a few yards back before she even interpreted what she saw. They had gone from the kitchen to the Petunie's part of the joint home. _Of course,_ she thought, _they're eating with the Petunie's… They have to bring them food, and of course the ever-kind Susan would stay to give them company…_

This sealed it for Joan. As quietly as she could, she lifted up the window, and cautiously set her left foot in, then her right, then the rest of her body… Then Joan came out from behind the curtains, the husky light from the setting sun lighting the room.

Nothing could have prepared Joan for what she saw. If they were supposed to be concealing magic, she finally understood why the curtains were always kept shut. A grey owl ate something that Joan guessed must be owl feed. There were posters of things and people Joan had never heard of, and see could have sworn that one winked at her…

A chocolate frog jumped around the room, and she gasped as a person from a poster walked out of their picture, went to a blank poster, talked to the person in the poster next to it, then walked back. She looked around, and nearly fell over as she saw all the other pictures doing the same, some even using objects and taking friends back with them! It was utter chaos until one picture, slightly hidden in the back of the room, called for attention. "SILENCE! Don't y'all know a muggle when you see one?" And, after a burst of murmuring, anything that could stop, did.

This had a surprisingly small effect on the scene. A furry, muti-colored creature with small horns and wings got out of it's box and flew around the room. A teapot was hopping around, trying to catch a strange, blue bug.

A cloudy, cracked mirror hung on the door. Joan looked straight into it, but jumped backwards in surprise into a battered, multi-colored semi-transparent lens when her reflection mumbled something that sounded like "Back to braids go, you…" Shadows moved about in the lens, but when Joan looked behind it, there was nothing. She had the uncomfortable feeling that the he posters were analyzing her, watching her every move.

A broomstick lay against the wall farthest from the window next to the door. Next to it was a stack of old books, glass bottles and… feathers?

A large trunk with clothes sticking out sat under Jacop's bed, which reminded Joan of the beds that her cousin Nicholas slept on at camp. It didn't stand out among the clutter.

A clock on the wall with a bunch of hands on it caught her eye- except when Joan did a double take, there were no numbers at all! Each hand had a name on it, and Joan looked at it, trying to figure it out. _Jacop, Ms. D, Jane, Ms. G, Frederic, Kyler, Ms. P, Mr. P, Mr. G_. Words were carved into the ring around the clock in Jacop's handwritting, _Adjusted to work with the current time._ Where the numbers would be, there were locations, and Joan understood. Ms. P was on Work, Jacop was on Home… but there were "numbers" that weren't locations as well, like Mortal Peril. She laughed; it seemed overly dramatic.

She turned to the wooden desk in the middle of the room. A colorful, glass top sat on it's side. It had the words _No-one can sneak up on me; I can tell when your coming. Beware the nearoscope! Bewitched by Frederic, Jay-To, Lenny, and Jacop._ Joan spun it idly as she took in the rest of the cluttered desk. A bottle of ink with a quill in it was in the corner of what seemed like an essay on a scroll. It was a strange sight, as if she had gone back in time in the middle of the future. A bunch of books and scrolls that looked like notes were scattered around. A wooden, handmade hand was lying on top of one book called _Bewitching Clocks of All Types_. On it, the name _Joan_ was carved. _But I don't live in the house…_

A stick lay next to the essay in a book called _A History of Magic_. The page seemed to be talking about some kind of… goblin revolution? Joan appeared to have read right, as she saw that Jacop's essay started with _The goblin rebellion of 1612 affected modern day Hogsmeade in the following ways…_ On the chair was a book with the title _Hogwarts: A History_. Joan, still wondering what Hogwarts was, opened it up and started reading. She hadn't finished the first paragraph when she realized what Hogwarts was: a school. So _this_ was the boarding school all her neighbors went to every year! Joan made a mental note to find out the address so she could send letters. She put the book down, having found out what she wanted. Then she picked up a book, _Magical Drafts and Potions_ , but found it much too complicated. It seemed like some magical recipe book, but it talked about strange things, like Horned Slugs and Bezoar Stones. She set the book down, and eyed another one, named _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3_. Under the desk below it, two more books laid closed, the two previous books in the series. Joan, deciding that the first book was a good place to start, picked up _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ and started to read.

She had to re-read the introduction many times before it made sense, and once it did, Joan's first thought was that a more appropriate title would be _The Standard Book of Charms._

 _That Don't Use Dark Magic,_ she added.

Joan flipped through the pages gently, pausing at some moving pictures. However curious, she didn't read on, as all of the strange things were too much to take in for one day, let alone spells. Then she heard the thumping that meant that they were back in the kitchen.

Joan panicked; she couldn't possibly get out in time. The glass top started spinning and whirring, perfectly matching Joan's nervousness. Joan stuck the piece of paper that was her letter into _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_. The thumping grew louder, the top continued whirring loudly, and Joan could tell that someone was going down the stairs into Jacop's room. Joan realized that it would give away her presence if the old book was on his desk when he so clearly didn't need it, but with no time to spare, she slammed the book shut, threw it under the desk, and just as the book landed with a loud _thud_ , Joan jumped out the window. The door slammed open, and as Joan carefully closed the window she caught a glimpse of Jacop picking up the stick. The window closed just in time, but Joan could hear through it Jacop as he shouted "Is anyone there? Show yourself - _Homenum Revelio_! Oh-oh, good… You naughty little Fluffers, are you causing a ruckus flying around again? I know it's not as big as Jay-To's room, but he's on vacation this summer…" Joan breathed a sigh of relief, while Jacop's was out of exasperation. "Why I even agreed to take care of him, I have no idea… Never would have done it had Jane not made me… I wish they would leave me alone, I really do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

What was that bug? Joan had never seen anything like it. She looked it up in her dad's insect book but couldn't find it in there. She wondered what it could do, whether it could bite… or sting… then she wondered whether it was dangerous, or if it was annoying… was it considered a pest?

Was Fluffers really the furball? Was it as cute as it looked, or was it secretly fierce? Joan pitied the creature if that was the case; he would always be underestimated.

How long would the teapot hop? Was it trying to say something? How did wizards make tea if the pot wouldn't stay still? Or would it, if a wizard tried to use it? Or, was it actually something else, in disguise as a teapot?

Was that bug actually dangerous, and that's why the teapot was trying to catch it? Seemed unlikely, it sounded more like it was a malfunctioning teapot, that's all. _That's all?_

Did that clock really work, and did it not work for Muffles (what did _the talking posters_ call her again?), or did it work for everyone if one could make the clock? It looked really hard to make… _Probably_ , she thought, as Joan didn't envy her grandmother or her uncle, who ran a clock shop. The size of that book… Plus, it looked like Jacop had to tinker a _lot_ with some of the hands; a few were scratched, scorched, cracked, and the lines of wood on one just seemed impossible to have ever connected. But her name on one, why _her's_? She didn't live in the house…

How did that top just start whirring on its own? And the words on it… _No-one can sneak up on me… I can tell when your coming…_ What did that mean? Was the Nearoscope alive, could it know things? And who were Jay-To and Lenny? With a sinking feeling in her gut, Joan thought she knew: Jacop's friends, wizard friends, the ones he didn't have to pretend around. His _real_ friends.

 _Dear Jacop,_

 _I saw your room when I gave you the last letter. It's kinda messy and some_

 _things in it I think are dangerous, but IT. IS. AWESOME! I see why you had_

 _to keep it a secret, though. There's a lot of magic in there! The posters are_

 _kinda creepy, y'know? They were staring at me. How the heck did you get_

 _them to move, though?! You didn't seem to have a book on that, did you_

 _buy them somewhere (where? No shops sell_ moving _posters that I know of)? Also, your teapot might be_ _malfuntining_ _malfunctioning._

 _How are things going? The Petunie's are OK now, I saw them playing with cards outside today. Kyler is trying to learn to make a house of cards!_

The next Friday, Joan waited until dinner, then creeped through the window for the second time. The scene still surprised her, but did not shock her as seeing it for the first time did. Joan made her way to the desk, and started reading the next spells in _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_. She moved her hand as if holding an invisible wand. Swish and flick… Swish and flick… _Wingardium Leviosa…_ Joan imagined the essay on the long, torn paper floating, flying… If only _she_ was a wizard, she could deliver her letters by flight.

Joan had to remind herself that she did not come in here to read. She put her letter at the top of the book labeled _The Monster Book of Monsters_ , only to have it awaken and promptly eat the paper. Unnoticing, Joan looked around for the old one to see if it had been taken, but it was not in _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ anymore, and soon she had more pressing things to worry about.

The "book" had now jumped onto Joan's t-shirt, and was eating it until it quickly decided that Joan's brownish-black hair was a tastier target. It swung on Joan's dreads, seemingly enjoying itself as it made its way around her head. The Nearoscope lit up and started whirring, and the monster book seemed to bite on tighter and tighter as she pulled in different ways. The book and top were making a lot of noise, but she could hear over the noise the sound of Jacop and Susan arguing.

"I'm doing it, I'm almost done, why do you need to see?"

"And the Care of Magi-"

"I just told you, I'm dropping that class this year!"

"You can't!"

"It's an elective, I am a-"

"I won't let you, Care of-"

"It's not up to you!"

Joan took advantage of the pause to slip out the window, book still holding onto her hair, and close it. She hoped that Jacop would not realize his book was gone, but thought bitterly that a book that temperamental was unlikely to be missed. She closed the window as the door creaked open, and stayed as she attempted to wrestle the book from her hair, quickly losing patience.

"You didn't even start!"

"I'm dropping the class, that's why!"

"But _why_?"

"It's a hard class, I can't keep up with the work!" His voice had dropped, and Joan could barely hear him through the window and over the book, which was still stubbornly attached to Joan's hair.

"Jacop, I _know_ when I'm being lied to. Especially when the class is given minimal homework and Professor Kettleburn says your 'a good student who takes their quick-thinking and knowledge of charms to class.' You got wonderful grades, you were _proud_ of them! Tell me what's _really_ going on, please."

"I-I can't, you wouldn't… no, you would, but… your going to freak out-"

"I'm not going to, if you-"

"You would if you knew." Jacop seemed to be waiting to make sure that his mother was listening, and his tone was uncharacteristically fierce. Joan had to profess that she was sick of Jacop arguing so fiercely with his mother; it seemed the one person he was not patient and supportive of was Susan. She finally wrestled the book from her hair, but stayed

Jacop sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, I- this is something for _me_ to work out, OK? Can you stay out of it? Please? I know you want to help… You know how I feel about your solution." Joan was taken aback. Jacop had suddenly dropped all hostility in his tone and he even seemed… _sad_. Then Joan realized there must have been an understanding of a previously discussed topic.

"I still think you shouldn't drop Care of Magical Creatures. It'll work out, and you really can care for them." Joan guessed that her eyes moves to Fluffers.

"Wait, where did… Hey Mom, have you seen where _The Monster Book of Monsters_ went?"

"No… why? You don't need the book for Care of Magical Creatures, I'm sure it's just run off, it will turn up again…"

"I don't, but I put a sleeping charm on that book and Frederic is taking care of Fluffers for his Care of Magical Creatures Essay this week-"

"Jacop, does that mean…? Are you sure you did the enchantment right?" Susan's voice was fearful, almost panicked, in contrast to Jacop's no-nonsense tone. Joan made no sound to express her nervousness; she was sitting on the book in question, wondering how she was going to get up without having the book run wild.

"Mr. G did the protective enchantments, there's no way he could have apparated in here, but that enchantment always worked before and at Hogwarts, someone was definitely here. I doubt the Greepin's or Petunie's would just let a Death Eater in through the door, though…"

Susan and Jacop spoke at the same time. " _Homenum Revelio!_ "

"Whoever was here isn't anymore. We're safe."

"Jacop, are you sure? If something happened to you once I left-"

"You saw the spell, we're the only ones here. Frederic probably came here to ask about Fluffers or something, I'll go over to the Petunie's to check on him." Joan breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have to go soon to help Ms. P, 'kay?"

"Okay, when will you be back?"

"No sooner than 8, contact by Floo powder if I'm not back by 12. Password's 'Purple Howler,' remember, don't let _anyone_ through the door without it." There was a tense silence.

"I'm telling the others before I go. Good night, sweetheart!"

"Good night, Mom. I'll go to bed in a bit."


End file.
